Carriage for display-racks.



No. 810,909. PATENTED JAN. 30, 1906. W. CATLIN & M. MuMILLAN. CARRIAGE FOR DISPLAY RACKS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB.28, 1905.

WITNESSES: v INVENTORS v .6 I 5 e I M 92:. =fluaz ATTORNEY.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CARRIAGE FOR DISPLAY-RACKS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 30, 1906.

Application filed February 28, 1905- Serial No. 247,794.

T0 alt whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM CATLIN and l\'IILTON MoMILLAN, citizen of the United States, residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Carriages for Display-Racks; and we do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon, which form a. part of this specification.

Our present invention relates to a carriage for display-racks, and more particularly to a class in which the carriage is slidably mounted on the rack.

A carriage constructed according to our invention is especially adapted for use on racks for displaying ornamental cracker and fancy cake cans, where a number of cans containing different assortments of crackers and cakes are arranged on tiers of shelves. As ordinarily constructed these racks are simply shelves arranged one above the other, on which the cans are placed side by side, it being necessarywhen it is desired to remove the contents of any of the'cans to remove the can from the shelf and place it on the counter or other support before opening the lid.

It is the object of our invention to provide a telescoping carriage in which the can may be placed and which may be drawn out from the rack-shelves far enough to permit the lid of the can to be raised and the contents removed, thereby obviating the necessity of lifting the can down from the rack each time a sale is made.

A further object of our invention is to rovide a device of the class described whic is simple and economical in construction and operation and comprises improved details of structure, which will presently be fully described, and pointed out in the claims, .referenoe being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this s ecification, in which like reference-numera s refer to like parts throughout the several views, and inv Fig. 3 1s rack and track on which the inner carriage member slides.

Referring more in detail tothe parts, 1 represents a portion of a rack or case having a series of shelf-brackets 2 rigidly secured to its sides. Mounted on brackets 2 is the inner member 4 of our carriage 4 5, said member 4 being referably formed of a strip of sheet metal ent, as shown, to provide the horizontal base portions 6 and the vertical side guards 7, the whole forming a skeleton frame in which the forward member 5 of the carriage is adapted to rest when the can carried therein is not in use, but in which said member 5 may travel; as will presently be described.

The forward member 5 of carriage 4 5 is substantially similar to member 4that is, it is a skeleton frame comprising the horizontal bases 6 and the vertical side guards 7. Member 5 is smaller than member 4 and is adapted to telescope or slide backward and forward in said member, being guided in its sliding movement by flanges 8 and S on the top of the respective side guards 7 of member 4, which have lips 9 9 on their ends, which are bent downwardly over the inner edges of guards 7 and by flanges 10 10 on the respective side bases 6, which have lips 11 11 bent upwardly and backwardly to fit over the respective bases 6 of member 5, said flanges forming guards to guide member 5 in its travel in and out of inner member 4 and acting as clamps to retain said member 5 in a horizontal position when drawn outwardly for the purpose mentioned.

In order for the carriage to operate successfully, it is necessary for the inner member 4 to have a limited movement in the direc tions of member 5. This may be accomplished by the employment of any one of a number of devices, the one that we show and prefer to use comprising a metal strip 12, which is secured to and extends over the ends of the shelf-bracket 2, its ends being bent downwardly and secured to the ends of the bracket, as shown. On the inner side of strip wardly and inwardly, forming a hook around the edge of the base of the inner member 4, providin a loose keeper for the member which will permit a sliding movement thereof which islimited by the space originally separating the end of the flange and the end base of the member, as the member when drawn forward will beheld when said base abuts 12 we provide a flange 13, which extends up-v IIC against the end of the flange. By employing this device we not only provide a satisfactory keeper, but a track as well, on which the inner member may slide, thereby obviating the wearing of the brackets.

While the members of the carriage may be constructed in any suitable manner, we prefer to have the metal strips slit and lapped, as shown in Fig. 1, the end bases undcrlapping the side bases in the outer member and the side bases underlapping the end base in the inner member. In this way a more satisfactory sliding movement may be provided.

While we have described but one carriage, it is understood that there may be a series of same on each shelf and as many shelves as desired, and while we have described the carriage as -resting on brackets on the sides of the rack or case, it may be mounted on an ordinary shelf, as may readily be seen.

14 1s a finger-grip on the forward member 5 for convenience in operating the carriage.

In the use of our device the carriage is mounted in the rack, as described. A can containing cakes or other merchandise is placed in the forward carriage member and the whole pushed into the rack or case. When it is desired to remove part of the contents of the can, the forward member is drawn out wardly by means of the grip 14, the guidefiange on the rear member catching on the back end of the forward member and drawing said rear member forward until the back end of said member im inges against said track-flange and is hel thereagainst, the parts being so arranged as to permit the forward member to be extended sufliciently to permit the lidof the can to be opened, but

, not so far as to throw any unnecessary strain on the carriage. As the inner member of the carriage is held by the track-flanges to the rack and the outer member containing the can is secured to the inner member, the whole carriage is supported on the frame in its extended osition and the contents of the can remove without the necessity of carrying the can to the counter, as is ordinarily done. When through with the can, the carriage is easily ushed back to its place in the rack.

Wh1e we have specifically described the parts of our carriage, We do not wish to be understood as limiting ourselves to the exact details of structure therein shown and described, inasmuch at the same may be varied without departing from the spirit of-our invention. I

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new therein, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a device of the class described,in combination with a suitable rack, a carriage comprising the inner member 4 which is secured to the rack, said member having the horizontal bases 6 and the vertical guards 7, the flanges 8 8 having lips 9 9 and flanges 10 10 having lips 11 11 on the outer end of said member 4, and the outer member 5 ada ted to telescope with member 4, substantial y as set forth.

2. In a device of the class described,in combination with a suitable rack, a carriage comprising an inner member slidably mounted in the rack and having flanges 8 8 and 10 10 provided with lips 9 9 and 11 11, an outer carriage member engaged by said lips and flanges and adapted to telescope with said inner member, and means for limiting the travel of said inner member, all substantially as setforth.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM CATLIN. MILTON MoMILLAN.

Witnesses to the signature of William Catlin:

F. E.- BURROUGHS, R. R. BUSH.

Witnesses to the signature of Milton Mc- Millan:

W. M. LEVY, S. O. WILLIAMS. 

